Interim Syrian President Ahmad el-Sharaa said on Sunday that he seeks “a state-to-state relationship with Lebanon, based on economic solutions, stability, and common interest, away from the interventions and policies that harmed both sides in the past.”
“The Syria I see today is a major opportunity for Lebanon, and the Lebanese must take advantage of its revival, or they will lose a great deal,” he stated during a meeting in Damascus with a delegation of Arab media leaders and officials.
Acknowledging that “Lebanon has suffered from the policies of the Assads,” Sharaa said that the two countries now “need to write a new history and free the memory from the legacy of the past.”
The Syrian president also admitted that “Syria’s investment in sectarian and political polarization in Lebanon was a major mistake against both countries and must not be repeated.”
“We have moved past the wounds that Hezbollah caused Syria,” he added, noting that he chose “not to continue the war after the liberation of Damascus.”
Looking ahead, Shraa said: “I am turning toward writing a new history for Lebanese-Syrian relations and liberating memory from the heritage of the past. There are those who portray us as terrorists and an existential threat, and others who want to leverage the new Syria to settle scores with Hezbollah. We are neither.”
On the regional level, he stressed “the importance of economic integration among the countries of the region,” adding that he would not hesitate to make “any decision or agreement that serves the interests of Syria and the region.”
He also revealed the existence of “advanced discussions regarding a security agreement between Damascus and Tel Aviv,” emphasizing that “any agreement with Israel could only be based on the 1974 armistice line.”
In conclusion, Ahmad el-Sharaa reiterated his commitment to Syrian sovereignty: “I insist on the unity of Syria and reject any presence of weapons outside the authority of the state,” reaffirming his intention to build a strong and stable state.
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